• What do schools and districts need to do to support unaccompanied youth?
• What information can personnel listen for to determine if a student qualifies as an unaccompanied youth?
• Once a school or district determines a youth is unaccompanied and homeless, what steps do they take?
• Is there a process to dispute the claim that a student is an unaccompanied youth?
• What funds can schools and districts use to support unaccompanied youth?

• What have other schools and districts in Ohio done to help unaccompanied youth?
• What can school and district personnel do to support unaccompanied youth?
• How can schools and districts connect unaccompanied youth to local resources and services?
• What are additional resources? 
• If educators or personnel still have questions, how can they contact the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce?

What do schools and districts need to do to support unaccompanied youth?  

• Reduce Barriers to Attendance: Federal law requires that schools and districts waive enrollment requirements that are a barrier to attendance. Schools and districts have the opportunity to provide students stability and consistency by reviewing enrollment procedures and requirements.  

• School Selection: The local liaison can use their relationship with the unaccompanied youth to assist with school selection to know if it would be best for the unaccompanied youth to remain at their school of origin (the district or school the student attended when the hardship occurred or the last school where the student enrolled and attended) or be enrolled in the attendance area school (the district or school where the student is resting their head at night). 

• Needs Assessment: The needs of an unaccompanied youth may be unclear and schools and districts can ensure that they meet those needs by conducting a needs assessment with the unaccompanied youth.  

• Records Transfer: Federal law requires that once the unaccompanied student is enrolled and able to attend school, the school or district needs to reach out to the student’s previous school to obtain the necessary paperwork. Through transferring records, schools and districts help to ensure that the student has stability of education while being challenged at school.  

• Knowledge of Rights: The local liaison can offer additional supports by having a conversation with the unaccompanied student about their McKinney-Vento rights.  

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What can personnel listen for to determine if a student qualifies as an unaccompanied youth? 

• When trying to determine whether a student is an unaccompanied youth, school and district personnel can have an empathetic conversation with the student and listen for information about the student’s living arrangement(s) to determine if they meet the criteria of an unaccompanied youth. It is important that even when a school or district is making this determination that the student remain enrolled in school.  

• Fixed: As the student describes where they sleep, liaisons can listen for if they sleep in a building such as a house or shelter, or if they sleep in a more portable situation such as a tent or a camper with wheels.  

• Regular: Liaisons can also listen for if the student always sleeps in the same place and if the student can access the place at any time (including during the day in case they are sick).  

• Adequate: Liaisons can listen for if the place where the student sleeps has electricity, hot and cold water, heating and air conditioning and a working bathroom and kitchen.  

• Unaccompanied: Liaisons can listen for if the student lives with anyone. Sometimes unaccompanied youth live “doubled up” when they live with friends or family members. Even if an unaccompanied youth is living “doubled up” with someone else, they can still be considered homeless because they are living with others due to their hardship. Liaisons can also listen for if the student is living with their parents or legal guardian.  

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Once a school or district determines a youth is unaccompanied and homeless, what steps do they take?  

1. Educational Stability: Federal law requires that schools and districts continue educating the unaccompanied youth even if the host or caretaker does not live within the school district. This empowers schools and districts to provide students stability and consistency that they may lack outside of school.   

​2. School Selection: Schools and districts can work with the unaccompanied youth to determine the needs of the student.

• During the school selection, unaccompanied students experiencing homelessness decide to stay at their school of origin or transfer to a new school.  
• The School Selection Worksheet helps to guide the conversation between the unaccompanied youth, their support system, and school personnel. Ultimately, the unaccompanied youth has the final decision with school selection.  

3. Connecting Unaccompanied Youth with Resources: Unaccompanied youth have unique needs that schools and districts can help to support by connecting students with community partners when needed. Liaisons may want to reach out to:  

• Faith-based organizations often have greater flexibility in what they can purchase than schools and districts.  
• Educational Service Center may refer administrators to services and supports for unaccompanied youth.  
• Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio may connect with resources in their area. 

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Is there a process to dispute the claim that a student is an unaccompanied youth?  

• Federal law requires that schools and districts follow this process if there is an eligibility dispute with the school or district and the unaccompanied youth: 

• Remain Enrolled: Students must remain enrolled in school throughout the dispute resolution process.  

• Written Decision: If a school or district determines that a student is not an unaccompanied youth, then they must provide a written decision to the student explaining their decision and the thought process behind it.  

• Student Appeal: If the student is unsatisfied with the decision, they can appeal the decision and the homeless liaison needs to assist the student with the appeal’s preparation.  

• Local Determination: The student may appeal to the local level and the school or district personnel will be able to explain their decision.  

• State Determination: The student can appeal to the state afterwards which gives the school or district personnel the opportunity to explain their decision again.  

• Final Decision: The decision of the state is final.  

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What funds can schools and districts use to support unaccompanied youth?  

• General Funds: Schools and districts can use their general funds to support unaccompanied youth. Unaccompanied youth, however, have unique and exceptional needs which will likely require supplemental funds.  

• Title I Funds: Schools and districts can use Title I funds and the Title I homeless set-aside for unaccompanied youth.  

• McKinney-Vento Grant: Schools and districts can apply for the McKinney-Vento subgrant which is a three-year competitive subgrant. The bidder’s conference typically occurs in the late winter with a Request for Applications published in early March and the deadline for applications is the last week of April.  

• Emergency Relief Funds: When applicable, schools and districts can use emergency relief funds including  Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) I and II  and American Rescue Plan Homeless Youth and Children (HCY) I and II to support the needs of unaccompanied youth.   

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• Building Direct Relationships: Akron Public Schools launched Project Rise to support youth experiencing homelessness including providing wraparound supports, transportation, and tutoring. As part of this initiative, the district created an academic advocate position to offer individualized and personal support for unaccompanied youth.  

• Engaging Community Partners: East Central Ohio Educational Service Center (ECOESC) serves rural districts in Belmont, Carroll, Guernsey, Harrison, and Tuscarawas Counties. Personnel have formed relationships with landlords and local housing authorities to provide housing to unaccompanied homeless students. Landlords support this program because they get to help their community and vulnerable youth.     

• Supporting Non-Profits: Columbus City Schools launched Project Connect, which includes collaborating with Kaleidoscope Youth Center (KYC) for information about LGBTQ+ homeless youth and their unique needs. Through this partnership, KYC has provided Columbus City Schools with guidance and the district has referred unaccompanied homeless students to KYC.  

• Finding Creative Solutions: New Philadelphia City Schools found a creative solution to address the transportation needs of unaccompanied students. New Philadelphia students that live within one mile of their school need to provide their own transportation. Recognizing that many unaccompanied, newcoming students live within one mile of their high school, New Philadelphia City Schools used their American Rescue Plan Homeless II funds to provide them with bikes to eliminate barriers to attendance.  

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What can school and district personnel do to support unaccompanied youth? 

• When an educator learns something that may indicate that a students is experiencing housing instability, they can reach out to their building administrator who will then contact the school or district’s homeless liaison. Educators can find their school or district’s homeless liaison by: 

• Going to the Ohio Education Directory System (OEDS),  

• Searching for their district,  

• Clicking on the district,  

• Going to the personnel tab, and 

• Searching for “homeless liaison” in the “Roles Available to this Organization.” 

• Educators may be consulted when the school or district assists with school selection. 

• Unaccompanied youth will likely benefit from trauma-informed practices and cultures.    

• Educators can also distribute “Handle With Care” emails to the student’s educators to support the emotional needs of the student.  

• Educators can help students be aware that there is an option in the FAFSA for students to indicate that they are experiencing homelessness and are an unaccompanied youth. There are a variety of scholarships to help unaccompanied students pursue higher education.  

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• Faith-Based Institutions: Often, faith-based organizations have greater flexibility in what they can purchase than schools and districts.  

• Educational Service Centers: A district’s Educational Service Center (ESC) may also be able to refer administrators to services and supports for unaccompanied youth.  

• Runaway and Homeless Youth Shelters: There are shelters across Ohio that house and support unaccompanied students experiencing homelessness.  

• Food Banks: Unaccompanied students may struggle to have food outside of school-provided meals, so it may be helpful to connect them with local food banks.  

• COHHIO: Personnel can also reach out to the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio to find out about more resources in their area.   

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• Supporting the Education of Unaccompanied Students Experiencing Homelessness   

• School Counselor Supports for College Preparation and Readiness for Students Experiencing Homelessness   

• Increasing Access to Higher Education for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth: Information for Colleges and Universities  

• In School Every Day: Addressing Chronic Absenteeism Among Students Experiencing Homelessness   

• Sex Trafficking of Minors: What Schools Need to Know to Recognize and Respond to the Trafficking of Students  

• Educational Rights Poster (Youth):  
  English  |  Spanish  

• Higher Education Poster:  
  English  |  Spanish  

• National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments: 
  o https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/events/webinar/traumasensitive-schools 
  o https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/ESSA-TitleIVPartA-SSAE 
  o https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/safe-and-healthy-students 
  McKinney-Vento Information and Implementation Tools 

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• Call 614-324-7646 or email HomelessEducation@education.ohio.gov.  

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